Lixin agreed with him, unwearyingly hanging onto his thin thread of patience. This man was picking a fight with him! Did he think it was his parents who could question him about his affairs? If so, his stay here was only a waste of time. "I feel bad for you. You have been so kind to her, yet she stabbed you in the back. She was jealous of your mother back then. These are all the rumors I had. I had a hard time believing it until my source gave me another one. She said you chased Suyin away. I feel so happy you made the right choice."
Who was this SHE he kept referring to? Could it be Suyin? So that was why he came? To change his mindset toward Suyin... Yes, he was angered when evidence of his mother's set-up fire accident led to his scarred face pointed at Suyin. He lost it, and to heal, he distanced himself from her. However, he had not expected this news to escape his household, meaning only one thing.
There was a mole in his mansion!
Lixin came to such a conclusion. Only a few people at the Mu mansion knew about him sending Suyin packing, and none of them had the balls to speak of this outside for fear of their lives, yet there was one that normally popped up in his mind: Ai Li. He had to get more clues about this girl.
"Where exactly are you heading to, Mr. Zhou? His face was filled with frowns. His brows creased together, and his beautiful eyes shrank, getting a bigger and brighter picture of the man seated next to him. He saw few similarities between him and Mingxia; the only main gap was their hearts. The father was stone-hearted, while Mingxia was the opposite. "You collided with my father to rip me off my chairman's position. You are not the only one who has a secret to tell."
Thud!
Another turn of the tables had hit Muchen badly. He came around intending to convince Mu Lixin to drop the stupid case that Haoyu had raised previously. Weighing the pros and cons, neither side favored Muchen, so he naturally had to call it quits. Conversely, the stone-hearted man over there did not seem as if he liked the idea. Muchen clenched his fist, pondering how smart and long this arrogant brat would last in the dreadful business world. He needed a helping hand, and that was what he came to offer him. On one condition, he dropped the case! Was it so hard to plead off? Muchen tried his best to reduce his short-temperedness, and when reality hit him, it became very clear to him. How did he know he was the mastermind behind Haoyu? No one ever knew that law firm apart from his daughter, Zhou Mingxia.
Rapidly, Muchen's face changed from white to black to blue, his skin texture pale to the extreme. The wine glass fell from his hands, crashing onto the ground. Lixin stared at him with a grin. It took him long enough to guess! Then, his mind drifted off to Mingxia. Won't exposing her identity lead her to more future troubles with her father, Muchen?
"Let me guess that Mingxia survived and is alive. Muchen pretty quickly guessed it. He was smart and sly simultaneously—what a perfect combo! Lixin had not responded, putting him in suspense. If she truly was alive, all was not going to be well. He folded his hands, each of his nails digging deep into his flesh. His gaze, which heretofore had been calm, became bloodthirsty. He laughed it off and pretended not to remember what he had said. "Lixin, these are the proposals I am offering. The Mu group has been standing for thirty years or more, passed from one kin to the next. You must have seen lots of silly things about this industry." His voice was very caring, while in his
"I see you have nothing else to offer." Lixin pulled the chair backward, showing he was unimpressed by his cunning nature. Honestly, Muchen was right. The business industry was a tough competition where the weak, honest, and loyal got married off and the thick-skinned assholes became stronger. He had seen different shades of personality in one human. No one was easily trusted. People stab you in the back; people sneer when they see you successful; all in all, it was one thing he was unwilling to take over! Yet he had no choice.
Seeing that Muchen had nothing else to say or offer, Lixin stood up and took his leave, leaving Muchen in his thoughts. Once gone, Muchen exhaled loudly, picked up his phone, and dialed an unknown number. The call came in soon, and he spoke in a foreign language that could not be understood. Everything had Mingxia's name written on it. His smirk grew deeper, and his worries disappeared.
"Mingxia, I will find someone to take care of you once and for all!"
........
"Where is Luyang? How is he? Lixin's distressed face appeared vividly as the old man, Mu Jialing, sighed, escorting him to Yang's room. His weak, slender body was supported by the walking stick. They took the elevator to not waste time and got to the room quickly. Lixin paused, his throbbing heart calming down, and he walked steadily towards the young little boy on his bed, sleeping peacefully. The room was covered in red, and his body temperature was a little bit above normal; consequently, Yichen came over to check whether Luyang's body was okay. He shrieked at the sight of the red paint bucket next to his bed.
He picked it up and scanned the room. It was plain and a little scattered, which perhaps Luyang did himself when angry. He let his anger go, which was replaced by a sobbing stare. Luyang clutched the pillow, muffling words and words. Lixin stepped back from him and held Grandpa. It hurts so much for Luyang.
"Lixin, Yichen knows what he is doing. Let us talk outside." Jialing held him, his words snapping Lixin out of his contemplations. He took him outside, allowing Yichen to focus on his work. The two glumly walked down the hallway. Both were immersed in their thoughts. Jialing took a step forward, blocking Lixin's pathway. His face was a little firm, but it softened seeing Lixin eat himself up. "He is stable now. Luyang will get better." He gave him a reassuring smile. A smile that Lixin knew was only to comfort him. Lixin bitterly nodded his head in affirmation and exhaled loudly as guilt sprung from his heart, recalling how Luyang lost his parents. Tears of regret flowed down his cheeks; he wiped them off, and again, his face became stoic like nothing had ever happened before. "We will take him to the US, and he will be under surveillance. He can get better medical help there than here."
"Luyang is not going back to that place again! It is my order, and no one can refute it."
"Keeping him locked up and lying to him is not helping either. He knows his parents are dead. Mu Lixin, listen to Grandpa for once; you are doing more harm than good to him. Jialing stood his ground, pondering why Lixin insisted on lying to him. What was all this facade about? Was Lixin hiding some unheard truth from him?
Jialing stared intensely at Lixin for a while before Yichen interrupted the conversation. He assured Jialing that Luyang was okay, and once he left, he took Lixin to another private room. He sat down, examining the cold-blooded Lixin on the chair. He cleared his throat and spoke up.
"Luyang's conditions are getting worse. What do you plan on doing?"